“Glad to be here,” says Mortimer, reaching out to shake Brawnson’s hand. Like so many endeavors our villain has recently undertaken, setting up this interview on live television and ensuring that it would not be truncated by any pesky government interference had been painfully easy. Mortimer’s main worry is staying awake through this step of his plan.

Larry Brawnson’s main worry is that the teleprompter is now turned off, and he is off script. Now he is now certain that something is out of the ordinary. He is not sure what Mortimer Hex expects, but he’s looking at Larry expectantly. “Uh, so… why are you here?” the anchor stumbles.

“An excellent question, Mr. Brawnson,” replies Mortimer. “I am here to clarify something, and that something is: Last Kale is my city, and not in the sense that I belong here. Quite the opposite, actually. I am here to clarify that Last Kale belongs to me.”

This is part 23 of Vile, a novel in progress. Would you care to read the beginning?